From Freedom to Future: Juneteenth, Father's Day, and the Obama Presidential Center

What do fathers, freedom, financial planners, and forward thinking spaces like Obama's Presidential Center have in common?

They all are tied to this weekend ahead, at least here in our house. Simultaneously, they all point to the same big question: What will we leave behind?

Here at home, my husband and I started the weekend with a Zoom call with our financial planner. This has become a relatively regular occurrence every month or two. Looking at longevity, legacy, and long-term care ultimately has us staring at that “someday” end date. 

We all have one, and no one gets out of this life without landing on one. Of course, we all hope it's later versus sooner. Add in the reality of parenting near-adult kids, and Father’s Day starts to feel a little different too. Aging, watching medical concerns trickle into our friend groups, and quietly wondering how on earth we got here so soon!

Then add in all the news of our first African American President, Barack Obama, unveiling his beautiful Presidential Center. More than a library, this community-centered campus includes outdoor green spaces for learning, playing, organizing, and creating together. It's a place to learn about civic engagement and democracy, serving as a place to honor the stories of those behind us as well as a springboard to build and imagine a future greater than the world in which we live. As I watched the speeches and unveiling, I felt the hope and optimism of building a collectively great place. That for me completely memorializes the power of our 250 years here in America.

It also highlights the vision and importance of Juneteenth, and feels powerful that the Center's opening was on June 18th. Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865 when the last group of enslaved Black people were finally told they were free in Galveston, Texas. This happened more than 2 years after Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation that put an end to slavery on January 1, 1963. Juneteenth became an official national holiday in 2021. It is seen as the "second Independence Day," celebrating freedom, equality, resilience, and social justice.

This weekend invites us to reflect on legacy in different ways. As we pay tribute to the history of Juneteenth, honor our dads and grandfathers here on Father’s Day, and celebrate the Obama Presidential Center and its focus to the future, we can feel the swirling power of "legacy." It feels living. It feels like a verb. It certainly feels like a hope for what's to come next.

We feel the stories of our own family histories as we celebrate our fathers, the stories of our country's history, and the stories we hope to build going forward. Much like the community gardens that are a part of the Obama Center, legacy is a place to go together. A place to grow together. It is through history and community that we do indeed grow. Perhaps that is the truest meaning of "legacy."

To all who celebrate:

• May Juneteenth be a day of remembrance, history, and renewed commitment to freedom; 
• May your Father’s Day be filled with gratitude, stories, and time together; 
• And may the Obama Presidential Center stand for a vision of hope, serving as an inspiring gathering place to many... keeping us learning, leading, and leaving a better world behind.

Images from https://www.businessbackpacker.com/how-to-build-your-personal-legacy-and-share-it-with-the-world/, https://www.instagram.com/p/DZvTQMpkxzj/, https://justicerevival.org/juneteenth-anti-racism-christian-prayer-reflections/, https://wesleychoice.org/12-interesting-facts-about-fathers-day/

Happy Father's Day: June 16

I always like to pay tribute here at GTG to seasonal holidays--both traditional and environmental ones. Mother's and Father's Day in particular have been important ones to me and frequent past posts.

In fact, here are my 2 favorite Father's Day posts of all-time that I have written:

• The Hallmarks of a Good Father's Day (2016)
  
• When Father's Day, Civil War, & the Environment All Intersect (2021)
  

This year, I'm not going to lie: I was feeling a bit less inspired for creative genius. Maybe it's an end of the school year/brain-fry thing. Very possibly could be. Does it mean I love the Dads in my life any less. Not at all. But my juices weren't working to get it right and to say it with proper meaning.

So I decided to see what ChatGPT had to say by putting in the following prompt, purposely with the eco-twist and assigning a role for the AI generator to adopt.

Assume the role of an avid environmentalist. What are some thoughts or tie ins to Father's Day?

AI did not disappoint. Here is the verbatim response. Normally, I would not use AI in this way--as a direct quote. In fact, I really do not use it often. When I do use it, I use it as a springboard of inspiration. Then I "tweak the heck out of it" adding in my own thoughts and insights... definitely making it sound more like "me" as it has a blocky, formulaic sound to its writing

But I'm going be fully transparent here and simply quote ChatGPT's response & the 9 tenets it generated for my prompt. There are some solid succinct points here, and I'm going to let them stand, quoted directly as AI written. I'm not turning it in for a grade, nor am I turning it in as my own writing. I'm sharing it to present what it can do. 

Additionally, I used the texts per tenant to create AI generated art through Canva's "Magic Tools". 

In doing so, I hope it illustrates how AI can indeed be used for inspiration....and for wishing the Dads out there "Happy Father's Day." May your day be one of family, togetherness, and making memories!

* * *

As an avid environmentalist, Father's Day can be a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the importance of preserving the environment for future generations. 

Here are some thoughts and tie-ins:

1. Legacy of Nature
Father's Day is about celebrating the legacies our fathers and father figures leave behind. One of the greatest legacies we can pass on is a healthy and thriving planet. This day can be a reminder of our responsibility to protect natural resources, biodiversity, and ecosystems for our children and grandchildren.

2. Connecting Generations
Fathers often teach their children about the world around them, including nature. Father's Day can be a perfect time to share outdoor activities such as hiking, fishing, birdwatching, or gardening. These activities not only strengthen family bonds but also instill a love and respect for the environment in younger generations.

3. Sustainable Gifts
Choosing eco-friendly and sustainable gifts for Father's Day can promote environmental consciousness. Gifts like reusable water bottles, solar-powered gadgets, organic and locally sourced products, or even planting a tree together, can be meaningful and beneficial for the environment.

4. Educational Opportunities

Father's Day can be an opportunity to educate families about environmental issues. Fathers can share their knowledge about climate change, conservation, and sustainable living with their children, fostering a household culture that prioritizes environmental stewardship.

5. Green Traditions
Starting new family traditions that emphasize sustainability can make Father's Day even more special. Activities such as organizing a neighborhood clean-up, visiting a national park, or committing to reducing household waste are ways to honor fathers while contributing to environmental protection.

6. Advocacy and Action
Encouraging fathers to take an active role in environmental advocacy can amplify efforts to combat climate change and protect natural habitats. This can include participating in environmental campaigns, supporting green policies, or volunteering for conservation projects as a family.

7. Appreciation of Nature’s Beauty
Father's Day can be a day to appreciate the beauty of nature and the role it plays in our lives. Taking time to enjoy and respect the environment can be a powerful reminder of why it's crucial to protect it. Fathers can lead by example, showing their children the value of preserving our planet’s natural wonders.

8. Reflection on Future Generations
Father's Day is a time to think about the future we want for our children. Reflecting on how our current actions impact the environment can inspire us to make more sustainable choices. It’s about ensuring that future generations inherit a planet that is as vibrant and full of life as the one we enjoy today.

9. Encouraging Environmental Responsibility
Fathers have a unique role in teaching responsibility, including environmental responsibility. Using Father's Day as a platform to discuss and implement eco-friendly practices at home can create a lasting impact on children's attitudes towards the environment.

By integrating these thoughts and actions into Father's Day celebrations, we can honor our fathers and father figures while also committing to the protection and preservation of our planet for future generations.

As disclosed above, text from the ChatGPT prompt "Assume the role of an avid environmentalist. What are some thoughts or tie ins to Father's Day?" Images created using Canva's Magic Tools using the text above as prompts to generate the photos.

Happy Father's Day Weekend!

I ran across this and it really spoke to me for Father's Day. Thank you Josh Clark for this 2016 tweet!

May all the meaningful men, fathers, grandpas, uncles, and father's figures in your life be treated like family champions today!

photo screenshot from https://twitter.com/joshclarkis/status/744656537679888385

Father's Day Nature Cards

Father's Day is less than a week away. Are you planned and ready for how to make the father or father-figure in your life feel special?

If not, there's still time to prepare and make a homemade, heartfelt, and nature-themed card. Check out this video created by Mother Natured, then get outside and get your materials (and your puns) and start creating!

(And, there's a companion video for Mother's Day, if you are into planning ahead for next year! 😉)

Video from https://youtu.be/9lM_4A7uLS8 

Father's Day 2022

This Father's Day, may the world slow down for you so you can share it with those who mean everything to you...be they your fathers, your children, your grandfathers, your uncles, your coaches, your neighbors,  your mentors, your mothers who are filling the roles of fathers in your world, and more. 

Image from https://christineelder.com/earth-day/

When Father's Day, Civil War, & the Environment All Intersect

Father's Day, Civil War, and the Environment are not the typical trio. Not by a long shot. Yet it's funny how this year, in my world, they all seem to intersect. I'll admit it, it's a bit of a weird convergence, yet it illustrates my Father's Day 2021. 

As part of an extended family adventure, my husband and his dad, both sizable Civil War history buffs, along with a handful of the rest of our family clan, are embarking on a 4-hour historic battle field tour as part of our plans for our Father's Day/Juneteenth weekend. While I'm not the history fanatic the rest of them are, I'm excited that the weather is supposed to be gorgeous this weekend, which will make our outdoor adventure even better!

With the Civil War on my brain as we were gearing up to go, I started googling these 3 terms just to see what it would bring up. Apparently, a lot. 

One of the many things I ran across was a book entitled "An Environmental History of the Civil War" by Judkin Browning and Timothy Silver. I never really considered environmental issues under the veil of the topic of the Civil War, but of course, it makes sense. Wars are fought outdoors--especially back in 1861. The land governed how those battles were fought. Civil War battles in the North were named according landforms and bodies of water. [The South typically named the battles based on the nearby town.] The four years of the Civil War brought a direct connection between the natural world and humans given the disease brought about by ailing, weakened soldiers and animals. But from reviews of the book, post-Civil War was also a time which brought about the conservation movement and the beginning of our national park systems.

Another book along the same lines is Kathryn Shively Meier's Nature's Civil War: Common Soldiers and the Environment in 1862 Virginia. Its description places Nature as the common enemy and an equal opponent to both Confederate and Yankee soldiers. "Man versus Nature" has always been a common theme in literature class... and reality! 

In fact, if you google "environmentalism and Civil War," you come up with even more articles if you still have a desire to delve deeper online into this connection. 

• Essential Civil War Curriculum: Environment & the Civil War by Matthew Stith
• National Humanities Center:: The American Civil War: An Environmental View by Jack Temple Kirby

Another interesting find on my pursuit of tie-ins to Civil War and Father's Day led me to this headline on History.com by David Roos fro 2018: "The Man Who Inspired Father’s Day Was a Single Dad and a Civil War Vet." The man in question: William Jackson Smart. William was married and widowed twice in his lifetime. He was the father of 6 from his first marriage and 14 children total after his second marriage and second wife died. A Civil War Veteran, William served as the inspiration to one of his daughters who dedicated herself toward the creation of the first Father's Day. 

This daughter--Sonora Smart Dodd--was 16 years old when her mother Ellen (William's first wife) died in childbirth. Years later, Sonora was attending one of the first Mother's Day events at her church in Spokane, Washington in 1909 when it struck her--if we have a day for our moms, why not our dads? In David Roos' article, he has several quotes from Sonora on the dedication she saw her father give her family and siblings. She brought forth her first petition to the Spokane Ministerial Alliance for Father's Day in 1910, wanting Father's Day to be held on June 5th, her father's birthday. Due to timing, they opted for a later date--June 19th. The 3rd Sunday in June. From that first Father's Day in Spokane Washington, Sonora went forward for 60 years (long after her father died in 1919), working towards getting Father's Day to become a national holiday. 

Sonora's dad, William Jackson Smart, was born in Arkansas. Records show he ultimately fought for both the North and the South in the Civil War. Starting as part of the Confederate troops, he was captured in 1862 and opted to join the Union rather than be relegated to a prisoner in a war camp. After the war ended, William ultimately ended up with his family in Washington state. It was here, after her mother died and later William's second wife died, where Sonora saw her father working hard to protect and love his kids as a single father. 

Pursuit pays off, but it was a long time in coming. In 1972, President Richard Nixon signed the Congressional resolution placing Fataher's Day on the 3rd Sunday in June. Sonora Smart Dodd, who by this time had achieved success as a poet, artist, children's book author, funeral home director, and civic leader in Spokane, was 90 years old. She died at the age of 96, seeing her lifelong dream come to fruition.

As you approach this Father's Day, may your personal history meet up with you as you celebrate the important fathers in your life. Your day probably won't tie in to the Civil War or entail a battlefield like my Father's Day plans do this year, but maybe some time spent outdoors on a beautiful Sunday may be a great way to celebrate.  

Book images from Amazon.com, quote image from canva.com, and photograph from https://www.tvhs.org/post/father-s-day-the-inspiration-of-sonora-smart-dodd

Happy Father's Day

Mother Nature certainly is a fan of these famous fathers in nature--
animal species who have doting dads that take part in the rearing of their young.

To see some fabulous furred, feathered, or other animal fathers, check out these links to get a nature-centric, animal kingdom tribute to dads:

• Sierra Club Slideshow: Father's In Nature
• Good Nature Travel: 9 Best Dads In Nature
• PBS's "Nature:" 5 Fabulous Fathers in Nature
• Fatherly: Best Dads in the Animal Kingdom

Which all reminds me of one of my favorite books: Mr. Seahorse by Eric Carle.

Happy Father's Day weekend to all you dynamic dads out there who do so much for your family!

Do something joyous together as a family.

Even better if it's outside!!

Golden Tamarins pic from https://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/blog/5-fabulous-fathers-animal-kingdom/, Fox pic and emperor penguin pic from https://www.fatherly.com/love-money/the-best-dads-in-the-animal-kingdom/, lion pic from https://www.askideas.com/35-most-wonderful-fathers-day-wish-pictures-and-images/, Animal pics combined in Canva.com for the banner, Eric Carle's Mr. Seahorse book cover from https://www.amazon.com/Mister-Seahorse-Eric-Carle/dp/0399242694/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1590943961&sr=8-1

The Hallmarks of a Good Father's Day

Step into the Hallmark Store at this time of the year and you will find the Father's Day cards sandwiched between graduation and all the other special occasion cards.

The cards fall in a variety of emotions, but often feature dad as the handyman, the grill master, the rugged outdoors man, the sports enthusiast.

With our li'l family of 4, we welcomed our Father's Day weekend in the woods. A-camping we did go. True tent camping, for the first time in years. For 4 days & 3 nights we were riverside in the woods of Harper's Ferry, WV.  3/4 of our long weekend, the weather couldn't be more ideal. Even better, we survived the torrential downpour of the first night, staying dry and with a good sense of adventure all hunkered down inside our tent.

Falling right after my teacher meetings ended, this weekend was a symbolic kickoff to summer--not to mention, a great way to decompress. A way to be sure to slow down, appreciate all that surrounded us. A way to breathe a little easier, take time more in stride and on its own time table. A way to gasp in the sunrises and embrace the sunsets over the camp-side Potomac river. We got lost in the flames of the campfire (& a good book or two), got absorbed in the fun of the conversation, while basking in the beauty and green all around.

I got a great dose of Vitamin N.  Nature!

I also got to see the my husband, my kid's dad, in his Hallmark Card element:

• He was the handyman who took the lead in prepping our campground with protective tarps both above and below our tent to keep us dry from the rain we knew was coming.  He patiently showed the kids how to hammer the stakes, creating quite the trio of tent builders.

• He was the grill master at work, baking bacon first thing in the morning to start our day with the tasty yumminess and sustenance that only bacon (or steak) can bring.  Watching him guide my daughter in flipping burgers to perfection made me smile, and thankful that he was tackling all the cooking.

• He was the rugged outdoors man who built our fires, trekked the trails, and 4-wheel-drove us down the rocky hillside to our campsite.  He romped in the river with the kids to splashing about with them.  Their giggles crossed over to where I was sitting, and I found my heart filling with love for my family.

• He was the sports enthusiast who spurred us on to try new and different things, encouraging family fun and bravery while zip-lining and white water rafting. He helped us all step outside of ourselves to try something new, but was also playfully pushing me out of the raft in flat water, but also grabbing hold of my son when he almost flipped out as we hit a wave hard.

In addition to seeing my husband in these "Hallmark" moments, I also had many memories this weekend of my own father, who passed away 5 years ago. We never went camping together when I was a kid, but my family always went on adventures and annual vacations. Some exotic, some rustic, and many of them were ones where the mini grill often came out of the trunk for a hotel side cookouts. There were playful times together including outdoor outings with a bit of hiking and some stream investigations where Dad and I would skip stone after stone. Where love, laughter, good times, and togetherness are all a part of the memories in the making.

These are all the hallmarks of a good father... 
and the hallmarks of making good memories.  

May you make some wonderful memories with your father today and children today, 
or celebrate the memories made in the past 
with your dad in days gone by.  

Happy Father's Day.   

Images from http://plusquotes.com/images/quotes-img/fathers-day-quotes-.jpg, http://www.crookedwillow.net/vintagestyleblog/fathers-day-thoughts/, and my camera.